occupy every mind and every hand in Ireland, "until its long oppressed soil be purged of all "its enemies. Vengeance, Irishmen-vengeance

on your oppressors. Remember what thou"sands of your dearest friends have perished by "their merciless orders-Remember their burn"ings, their rackings, their torturings, their "military massacres, and their legal murdersRemember Orr!" *

* Appendix to the report, &c. No. 20. William Orr, a man of good family and connexions, had been hanged at Carrickfergus for high treason.

CHAP. II.

Insurrection-Mail-Coach-Skirmishes-Prosperous

Naas-Kilcullon-Martial Law-Carlow-Sir Ed

ward Crosbie-Monasterevan-Hacketstown-TarahRathangan Surrendry at Knockawlin-Gibbit-rath -County of Wexford-Mountnorris-Terror of whippings-Father John Murphy-Kilthomas-Oulart— Enniscorthy-Wexford-Arrest Mission of Colclough-Three Rocks-Meath Militia-Repulse of Col. Maxwell-Wexford evacuated-Gorey-Earl of

Courtown-Arklow-Newtownbarry-Camps-Ballycanoo-Walpole-Tubberneering-Ross-Scullabogue-Slyeevekeelter-Lacken-Arklow-Skerrett.

By such arrests, and other precautions, the plan of insurrection was frustrated, which was to commence on the night of the 23d of May, by an attack on the army encamped at Lehaunstown, or Laughlinstown, seven miles south of Dublin-an attack on the artillery stationed at Chapelizod, two miles west of the same-an attack on the castle, and other parts of the metropolis, as soon as the news of the two former assaults should reach the city, in all which the counties of Dublin, Wicklow, and Kildare were to co-operate-and the destruction or detention of the mail-coaches on the north and south roads,

which was to serve as a signal of insurrection to the rest of the kingdom. The plot had been announced late in the evening of the 21st, by a letter from the secretary of the lord lieutenant to Thomas Fleming, the lord mayor of Dublin, and on the 22d by a message from the lord lieutenant to both houses of parliament; and to prevent its execution, the troops of the line, militia, and yeomanry, were disposed under arms in what were supposed to be the most advantageous positions. By a variety of precautions the capital was restrained in tranquillity; but in the neighbouring counties, notwithstanding the disorganisation of the confederacy by the various operations of government, the appointment was observed by considerable numbers; the mailcoaches on the northern, western, and southern roads were destroyed; the first at Santry, three miles from Dublin; the second between Lucan and Leixlip, eight miles from the same; and the third near Naas, fifteen miles from the capital; insurgents assembled in many places; and in that night and the following day several skirmishes were fought, and the towns of Naas, Claine, Prosperous, Ballymore-Eustace, and Kilcullen were attacked; as were also, in the next succeeding night and day, those of Carlow, Hacketstown, and Monasterevan,

Among the skirmishes of the recent insurrection were those which took place near Rathfarn

ham, Tallagh, Lucan, Lusk, Dunboyne, Barretstown, Collon, and Baltinglass. In all these petty actions, except those near Dunboyne and Barretstown, and in all the attacks of towns, except that of Prosperous, the insurgents were defeated, though Kilcullen was abondoned to them after their defeat. In these and other conflicts in the course of the rebellion, the number of the killed and wounded of the rebels is extremely uncertain, and almost always vastly exaggerated in the public prints. The action near Dunboyne, eight miles from Dublin, in the county of Meath, was the surprise of a small party of the regiment of Reay fencibles by a body of rebels, who seized the baggage of two companies of the king's troops escorted by the above party; and that near Barretstown was also a surprise of a small body of the Suffolk fencibles, who lost all their baggage in their march to Kildare. The engagement in the neighbourhood of Baltinglass, twenty-nine miles from Dublin, southward, was one of the most considerable of the skirmishes which happened at this time. A body of at least four or five hundred insurgents were on the 24th, at one o'clock, attacked in the town of Stratford-upon-Slaney, near Baltinglass, on one side by a small body of troops composed of thirty of the Antrim militia, under lieutenant Macau. ley, and twenty of the ninth dragoons, under cornet Love; and on the, other by a party of

yeomen, commanded by captain Stratford. By this double attack they were totally routed, with the slaughter perhaps of near a hundred; while of the loyalists none were killed, but several wounded.

The attack of Prosperous, a small town in the county of Kildare, intended for a seat of cotton manufactures, seventeen miles distant from Dublin, was made an hour after midnight, on the night of the 23d, or morning of the 24th, by a large body of men, supposed to be conducted by John Esmond, a Romish gentleman, first lieutenant of a troop of yeoman cavalry. The small garrison was assailed by surprise. The barrack was fired, and twenty-eight of the city of Cork militia, with their commander, captain Swayne, perished in the flames, and by the pikes of the enemy. Nine men also of a Welch regiment of cavalry, stiled ancient Britons, were slaughtered in the houses where they had been billetted,, and five were made prisoners. Many of the perpetrators of this atrocious butchery were, by the trembling loyalist inhabitants, recognized to be the same who on the preceding day had surrendered to captain Swayne, and, in the presence of a Romish priest, had expressed the deepest contrition for having engaged in the conspiracy of United Irish, and made most solemn promises of future loyalty--a melancholy instance of dissimulation, practised elsewhere in